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An entrancing and sublime tale of love, carnage, and the 20th century’s misplaced faith in human progress.

This one is a treasure, another winner from an author who seemingly cannot write a bad sentence.

Fans of Georges Simenon’s Maigret or Anthony Horowitz’s Hawthorne and Horowitz will find much to enjoy in this literary house of mirrors.

A sexy, romantic, and heartfelt twist on a familiar myth.

Recommend England’s wonderfully cozy fantasy to fans of Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner, and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.

Richard Russo, Paul. Tremblay, Julie Anne Long, L. C. Chu, Paul Rudnick, Shannon Chakraborty, Oliver Darkshire, and Tillie Walden are among the many authors writing star-earning titles highlighted in our April issue.

Audio horror, fantasy, mystery, social sciences, and more. This spring’s audiobook stars offer auditory delights across a wide range of subjects and genres.

From metafictional cosmic horror to Latin American gothic stories, these audios offer chilling listens for every taste.

Pitch-perfect performances and second-chance romance make for swoony, satisfying listens.

A beautifully rendered time-travel romance and a globe-hopping dark fantasy open windows into new worlds, relationships, and possibilities.

Adler’s debut is highly recommended for readers who enjoy vividly drawn literary fiction about the past.

A redemption story highlighting humanity’s resilience to create something beautiful from the ashes of war, Corrigan’s debut is one to savor.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Fonda Lee, Alexandra Vasti, Christina Baker Kline, and Douglas Stuart are among the many authors writing star-earning titles highlighted in our March issue.

An emotionally moving read for book groups and anyone interested in witnessing a slice of life of two famous brothers and their families.

Somehow, Finlay manages to improve with each amazing book, and he has crafted another terrific suspense novel that demands to be read in one sitting.

An excellent romantic comedy with both style and substance.

This complex space opera is a fast-paced ride of espionage and ruthless corporate samurai, featuring a delightful 50-something protagonist.

A particularly well-crafted sports romance from a talented new voice. Readers will be clamoring for more from Vellner.

Coombe’s debut is highly recommended for anyone who loved the town/business-building, dream-catching coziness of the “Legends & Lattes” series by Travis Baldree, the “Tomes & Tea” series by Rebecca Thorne, or Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz.

A slow-burn, small-town romance that beautifully demonstrates how food, family, and culture can bridge the past and present. Perfect for readers seeking emotional depth with a culinary heart.

A slow-burn academic enemies-to-lovers relationship, a snarky feline familiar, and a unique magic system create an incredibly appealing romantic fantasy. Fans of Stephanie Burgis and Sarah Beth Durst will adore Chow’s adult debut.

Jane Harper, TJ Klune, Veronica Roth, Eloisa James, Abby Jimenez, and Rachel Khong are among the many authors writing star-earning titles highlighted in our February issue.

Whitaker writes a deeply compelling novel that follows a family over two generations. Hand to readers who have an interest in family stories, strong women, and lesbian and gay fiction.

The strong storyline, intricate plotting, incisive exploration of social issues, and Perry’s trademark active prose make this one of her best.

Readers will be swept up in the lyrical prose, compelling relationships, and timely commentary of Bouazzaoui’s debut rooted in Moroccan mythology.

Amal El-Mohtar, Louise Erdrich, Keigo Higashino, Joshilyn Jackson, T. Kingfisher, and Daniel Kraus are among the many authors writing star-earning titles highlighted in our January issue.

This captivating thriller is a must for every library and a great choice for book clubs.

Highly recommended for historical romance fans who enjoy a mix of humor, cunning, and tenderness.

A superb sci-fi story about 21st-century issues set in a futuristic space environment, featuring flawed but lovable characters doing their best with whatever challenges the galaxy presents.

Chu finds a delightful and poignant intersection between the multiverse, family dysfunction, and dim sum in his debut novel.

Thompson’s unexpected, engaging, horror-romance mash-up will keep readers on the edge of their seats, desperately hoping that their favorite protagonist isn’t the killer.

Readers will hang on tight as Phillips’s hilarious Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Mystery Novel takes them for a wild stroller ride. Perfect for fans of mysteries and mayhem.

Throughout the year, LJ’s expert reviewers consider thousands of books, reading titles across a myriad of genres and subjects. These are the nearly 800 works they judged as the best, most notable, significant, and important books of 2025. They represent hidden gems and big books, spanning over 250 publishers and imprints and more than 300 different BISAC codes.

Nicci French, Mary Kubica, Ian McGuire, Lionel Shriver, and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney join many more authors in penning star-earning titles.

In Fawcett’s latest, readers will enjoy the 1920s Montreal setting, while those who love cozy fantasy romances such as The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski and Freya Marske’s “Last Binding” series will be delighted by Havelock, Agnes, and her cats.

Clayborn blends her signature heart and complex character development in this enthralling, introspective novel, perfect for fans of literary romances.

Fans of superior thrillers in the style of Chris Pavone, Joseph Finder, and even early Robert Ludlum will find Quirk’s latest equally enthralling.

A humorous yet emotional urban fantasy with excellent worldbuilding that will give fans of Sophie Kim’s The God and the Gumiho, David R. Slayton’s White Trash Warlock, or Mark Waddell’s Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World everything they desire.

Morillo’s strong debut set in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, is an entertaining and emotional cozy romance.

Standout selections across fiction, nonfiction, and audio.

This elaborate novel takes a locked-room murder mystery into outer space. Exploring themes of faith and philosophy, evolution and self-awareness, Sui creates a beautifully crafted world, sprinkled with a bit of horror and romance.

The wonderful banter, sexy scenes, and tender care that are hallmarks of Sebastian’s historical romances also shine in her first contemporary romance, another outstanding queer love story.

Atkins captures the peak paranoia of the waning days of the Cold War and spins a fantastic yarn filled with deception, double-crosses, action, and drama. Fans of Red Dawn or The Americans will flock to this brilliant novel.

Standouts from the fall edition of Life+Style include books on cooking, crafts, gardening, pets, self-help, and travel.

Readers of cozy fantasy will adore Krempholtz’s debut, and fans of Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis, The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong, and the “Wicked Years” series by Gregory Maguire will find a new home in Dragon’s Rest.

This is an intense and assured debut that will have readers by turns loving and loathing the protagonists. For fans of Samantha Downing and Caroline Kepnes.

Great books spanning fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and reference.

This thought-provoking and inspiring collection is highly recommended for readers looking for visions that represent hope and change, as well as anyone who loves the work of Octavia Butler.

This queer second-chance romance features a large and lovable cast of friends and family, compelling workplace drama, and the perfect balance of tender and sexy moments, all set against a vivid Atlanta backdrop.

Readers will feel the Miami heat in this fast-paced legal thriller that delivers high-stakes courtroom drama and rich character development while unraveling a deadly conspiracy that touches on timely issues: gun trafficking, private adoption, and identity.

With well-developed characters who have immediate, almost tangible chemistry and a well-described atmospheric setting whose details pulls readers into the landscape of Iceland, Oliver’s debut is unputdownable.

Dual timelines, a shockingly hyperdimensional setting, and flawed characters make this a must-read that recalls the work of Kim Stanley Robinson.

Audio cookbooks, drama, sci-fi, romance, and more. This fall’s audiobook stars offer auditory delights across all genres. 

Murder, chemistry, and twisty turns make for gripping, suspenseful listens.

From second-chance romance to sizzling seduction, these audio romances offer something for every taste.

Climate crises and feminist horror join a brutal tale of the American West in this chilling array of audio horror.

From Bradbury’s dystopian future to a fresh take on Little Shop of Horrors, these SFF audios make for spectacular listens.

Great reads across fiction, nonfiction, and reference.

YA author Lu makes her adult debut with this launch of a gritty, contemporary fantasy series set in an alternate Los Angeles.

Full of humor and emotion, this brilliant novel will have readers crying one moment and laughing the next, then racing to read McAlister’s backlist.

Sure to appeal to book groups, this emotionally charged feminist thriller holds up a mirror to impossible expectations placed on women, inspiring necessary conversations about choice and regret.

As LJ approaches its 150th year helping librarians curate collections, we offer modern reviews of titles published decades and centuries ago. These reviews highlight iconic works and provide professional assessments of classics that have appeared on banned-book lists.

Wonderful works across fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and audiobooks.

Recommend to readers who enjoy mercantile empire space opera, sapphic frenemy romances, found-family stories, and narratives where robots and artificial intelligences save the day.

McCoy’s talent for crafting steamy scenes, deft hand with dialogue, and mouthwatering food descriptions will make this a popular title.

Parker excels at creating flawed but sympathetic characters, and his latest thriller introduces Orange County Sheriff’s Detective Lew Gale, a former U.S. Marines sniper.

In Martinez’s debut, the writing is beautiful, and the story is fantastic. Highly recommended for readers who love the work of Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, Natasha Siegel, and Allison Saft.

Told in alternating viewpoints, with a fun literary storyline, a joyous sapphic relationship, and more than one mystery to unfurl, Vasti’s steamy gothic Regency will appeal to fans of historical romances where social justice is central, including the novels of Evie Dunmore and Liana De la Rosa.

Song’s sequel to The Night Ends with Fire is a wonderfully immersive fantasy, filled with high-stakes action, political machinations, and intense consequences.

Great reads for the month span fiction, nonfiction, and audio.

Fredericks’s (The Lindbergh Nanny) latest, based on a real case, is set in Roaring Twenties New York City, complete with opulent parties, swanky businessmen, and more than one mystery. It is a roaring good time.

Murder mysteries, spooky stories, paranormal romance, social science, and more. This summer’s audiobook stars offer something for every taste.

Bestselling authors, adult debuts, locked-room mysteries, and more for crime solvers and armchair sleuths.

Narrator Hazel Addison takes on a huge cast of characters with aplomb in this truly delightful and steamy romp loosely based on The Wizard of Oz. From the growly lion Toto to two distinct love interests for Dory, Addison’s performance makes this high-action, high-jinks-filled romance all the more stellar.

A tale for fans of socially conscious horror, as well as those seeking the grisliness of possession and psychological terror.

The July 2025 fiction audiobook titles that are most in demand.

The July 2025 fiction audiobook titles that are most in demand.

Set during heated nights on Florida’s coast, with characters who are flawed, fabulous, and forced to write sexy scenes together, this is a sizzling romance debut from Kahn.

Wallbrook introduces Professor Daphne Ouverture, smart, competent, kind, and a terrific addition to the academic sleuth canon.

Full of fascinating myth and magic, heart-pounding action, and a tender and sexy romance, Rapier’s superb debut offers a delightful pirate romantasy, first in a duology.

This fourth action-packed Frankie Elkin installment will excite fans and newbies alike.

Wonderful books to explore as summer sets in, across fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels.

A must-read for fans of Naomi Novik, Olivie Blake, and Lev Grossman’s scholastic fantasies, with explorations of purpose, grief, and relationships that open the novel to a more universal audience.

Well-written and engaging, this superb novel from Gonzalez will find plenty of fans.

Armstrong delivers a hit for fans of second-chance romance, a perfect summer beach read.

Not since Michael Crichton entertained and thrilled readers with science-driven novels like Sphere and Jurassic Park has there been anything this frightfully fun.

Fast-paced fun that will appeal to fans of Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan and Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Meddelin Chan.

Anders’s latest is a breathtaking work of magic, grief, and love. The vulnerable depiction of relationships and challenges within queer and trans communities is heart-wrenching but still reflects hope and optimism throughout.

Outstanding reads and great picks across a wide range of fiction genres, audio, and nonfiction. Build TBR lists and find something to savor among this month’s top titles.

In this important work of early feminism, which shocked its readers but reflected its times, Chopin mirrors the sensibilities of her age while universally underscoring the desire to reject prescribed roles and definitions.

Tour the Louvre, plant a garden, find balance, live a creative life. These are just a few of the undertakings this spring’s Life+Style books introduce.

This is an utterly charming and absolutely delightful slow-burn romantasy, featuring a bumbling beta hero, a strong heroine, and an enemies-to-lovers romance that is sweet with heat. Romantasy readers will love this one.

De Cadenet’s well-written novel is riveting. Fans of romance with depth will clamor for this title.

Help readers find their next great read with these starred picks from the April issue. Across audio, graphic novels, a range of genres, and multiple nonfiction subjects, there is something for all kinds of readers and listeners.

Darkshire makes his fiction debut with this humorous fantasy novel that every library needs.

A lively story with engaging characters and fascinating bits about British colonial governance in Fiji. Rao’s second tale about Sgt. Akal is first-rate.

The best audiobooks of the season span fiction, mystery, horror, romance, SFF, and a range of nonfiction.

The mystery listens not to miss.

Romance listens not to miss.

SFF listens not to miss.